Hi Everyone.
I'm wondering if anyone has familiarity with the area's in the title during last two weeks of Sept and if the festivals make getting around via train and boat a big pain or is it not a big deal? I don't mind driving but the low value Canadian dollar makes car rentals incredibly expense, I always try to train or bus or boat where possible. I'm not actually going because of the festivals, call me a savage but I'm not that into wine, but that is the time I'm thinking of going. As part of a larger West Germany vacation I plan to see the Koblenz to Mainz area (best of the Rhine according to RS) , then to Cochem, Trier, in all those places seeing the things Rick Steves recommends in his book. Then since I'll be so close to Lumembourg, might as well spend a couple days there before off to Cologne and Hamburg.
Thanks for any advice people have.
Greg
Posted by
Niagara, Ontario
1828 posts
I wouldn't be concerned about any festivals interfering with your plans. Wine festival dates are spread out, starting in July, and many of them are in small villages which you are unlikely to visit. Punch in your dates:
https://en.visitmosel.de/wine-cuisine/wine-events
Cochem is a good spot to base in. It has a ferry landing, good bus connections, and direct trains to Koblenz, Trier and Luxembourg. Bernkastel-Kues, a great visit, can be reached by a train/ bus combo.
Posted by
Paradise
7536 posts
If you can book from Sunday through Friday you will find more availabilty and smaller crowds. Weinfest weekends:
Rhine:
Boppard 9/26 & 27
St Goar 9/19 & 20 (Rhine in Flames)
Oberwesel 9/12 & 13 (Rhine in Flames)
Mosel fests in this period tend to be smaller and less impacted.
It is always easier to get to/from the fest towns by train than by car - the towns are small, with limited parking.
Boats are for sightseeing; use the trains for transportation. Free transportation is available if you stay in Boppard or with certain providers in other Rhine/Mosel towns.
https://www.vrminfo.de/fileadmin/data_vrminfo/PDF/Gaesteticket/Infoflyer/Flyer_GT_englisch_01.pdf
List of hosts that offer this free transportation card (Boppard, where all guests get the card, is not shown.)
https://www.vrminfo.de/fileadmin/data_vrminfo/PDF/Gaesteticket/Uebersicht_Gaesteticket_Apr_2025.pdf
Posted by
Southeast US
4267 posts
I stayed in St Goarshausen for a week including Rhine in Flames in the fall of 2018 (I think). Getting around the area was easy peasy during that time -- not really impacted by the wine festival. No huge crowds.
Posted by
Arctophilia, Northamptonshire, England
35432 posts
if you are considering taking a tour on the Mosel be aware that there have been two recent occurrences when ships ran into the lock gates and damaged them.
There is a temporary fix for the most recent, see concurrent thread https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/germany/ships-jammed-on-the-moselle-after-accident-at-lock and we hope that the temporary fix holds up until the gate is properly replaced which may be around the time of your visit.
Check first, anyway.
If you're not going to try a Mosel tour boat it is unlikely to affect you.
Posted by
Greeley, co, usa
2787 posts
One year I was at the Rhine in Flames at St.. Goar. Big event. Only i,pact with the trains was the crowds after the fireworks ended. They added extra cars and there was not problem.
Another year I was at Boppard when there was some event and when it ended the train was crowded but I think just that one train.
I wouldn’t be concerned
Posted by
OP
Edmonton Alberta Canada
101 posts
Thanks Everyone for you very helpful answers. Thank you Gundersen, Russ, Dave, Nigel, and Stepen.
Looks like it's not a big deal transportation wise around those areas. I'll definitely check out Cochem as a base and check out the links people provided for the dates as well as the Moselle ship accident problem.
Greg
Posted by
Alsenborn, Germany
2111 posts
Most of the better Winefests will be done by mid- September. That's for the Rhine and the Mosel.
The largest wine fest in Europe will be the annual Bad Durkheim Wurstfest which is slated to run 12-22 September (with a couple closed days in the middle.) It's worth attending, but don't stay after 2000 as the drunks become an issue. The local drink is a schorle, which is a half liter of wine and sparkling water. Drinking starts around 1100.
Here's a pretty good site for the region: https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Rhineland-Palatinate
Posted by
Bellingham, WA
1159 posts
Have you checked the prices for car rental? Last summer, my friend and I rented a little Toyota Aygo at the Frankfurt Airport, and it was quite inexpensive. We loved having it for our visit to the Mosel Valley. Also, read through the Forum posts about other things to see in that area that are not mentioned in the RS books.
Posted by
OP
Edmonton Alberta Canada
101 posts
Thank you KCG - I'm not really a wine person, so not actually going to the festivals, I'm just hoping to avoid any travel hassles from them, based on what people here have said, doesn't look there is anything to worry about.
Thank you G3rrycee - re car rental, I'm going off my 2023 experience in England where I had to rent for a week in Devon and Cornwall due to poor public transportation, and the combination of poor Canadian dollar value (roughly 30% less than the US dollar) and the insurance I bought for peace of mind doubled the price of the car - from 500 CDN for a week up to 1000. (I rented from Enterprise). I also had to rent a car at the last minute for one day due to a bus strike up in Northern England at Hadrian's wall - that worked out to 200 dollars for one day. Probably could have cabbed it for less. Last year I travelled around Bavaria for a couple weeks and looked at the price - can't remember what it was but It was pricey- at least it felt that way to me. I guess it's all relative